I received with great remorse the decision of the Competition Commissioner regarding the third game of the final series of ETC Super League play-offs between Sigal Prishtina and Peja.
I think that Kosovo Basketball Federation (KBF), during this season has achieved an extraordinary success and such conclusion of the season puts us in an uncomfortable position before FIBA, Balkan League (BIBL), our sponsors, partners and public opinion, but also minimizes the efforts of each member of KBF, current or former, to reach the level where we are today.
Not often are federations obliged to make decisions for the conclusion of the final series outside the terrain.
However, I have full confidence in KBF's bodies, their professionalism and objectivity, and I am convinced that their decisions are the right ones and in accordance with the Competition Propositions and other normative acts applicable to the Kosovo Basketball Federation and its members.
From a personal perspective, my involvement in the situation in Prishtina last night was mentioned in the media, so I have to clarify that I was present in the gym with other senior officials of KBF, but my involvement in this case has been only in the sense of convincing BC Peja to return to the court.
But at no point, did I nor my colleagues from KBF interfere with the competence of the referees and observers of the game, nor the Police present in the hall. We did not give evaluations or judgments about the safety in the hall and we did not interfere with the decisions of the referees or the observers of the game, who showed total professionalism and tolerance for the behavior of BC Peja, allowing them to return to the court after a longer time than foreseen by the Competition Propositions, always aware of the importance of the game and the consequences of its abandonment.
Such conclusion of this season is painful for all of us in Kosovo Basketball Federation, but as we have proved so many times before, we must be uncompromising and impartial in applying the rules of the game and Normative Acts of KBF and FIBA, which serve for the progress of the sport which we love.
As the newest member of FIBA and FIBA Europe, we remain committed to creating an adequate environment for the development of basketball for all, and proper implementation of the normative acts which regulate the development of competition in the country, constitutes a fundamental prerequisite for this.
Sincerely,
Erolld Belegu
President of KBF